IMDb > À bout de souffle (1960)
À bout de souffle
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À bout de souffle (1960) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
8.0/10   18,366 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Jean-Luc Godard
Writers:
Jean-Luc Godard (screenplay)
François Truffaut (story)
Contact:
View company contact information for Breathless on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
7 February 1961 (USA) more
Tagline:
The film that was banned for 4 years. Why..? (original Finnish poster tagline)
Plot:
A young car thief kills a policeman and tries to persuade a girl to hide in Italy with him. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(26 articles)
Tao Ruspoli's Top Ten Films of All Time
 (From ioncinema. 3 November 2009)

10 Awesome Foreign Actresses in Movies You Must See!
 (From The Movie Fanatic. 25 September 2009, 6:29 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the 8th Wonder of the World: Jean-Luc Godard. more (123 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)
Jean-Paul Belmondo ... Michel Poiccard

Jean Seberg ... Patricia Franchini
Daniel Boulanger ... Police Inspector Vital
Jean-Pierre Melville ... Parvulesco
Henri-Jacques Huet ... Antonio Berrutti
Van Doude ... Himself
Claude Mansard ... Claudius Mansard

Jean-Luc Godard ... An Informer
Richard Balducci ... Tolmatchoff
Roger Hanin ... Cal Zombach
Jean-Louis Richard ... A Journalist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Liliane David ... Liliane
Jean Domarchi ... A Drunk
Jean Douchet ... A Journalist
Raymond Huntley ... A Journalist
André S. Labarthe ... A journalist
François Moreuil ... A journalist
Liliane Robin ... Minouche
José Bénazéraf ... (uncredited)
Philippe de Broca ... A Journalist (uncredited)
Michel Fabre ... Plainclothes Policeman (uncredited)
Louiguy ... (uncredited)
Michel Mourlet ... (uncredited)
Guido Orlando ... (uncredited)
Madame Paul ... (uncredited)
Raymond Ravanbaz ... (uncredited)
Jacques Serguine ... (uncredited)
Jacques Siclier ... (uncredited)
Virginie Ullmann ... (uncredited)
Emile Villion ... (uncredited)
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Directed by
Jean-Luc Godard 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Jean-Luc Godard  screenplay
François Truffaut  story

Produced by
Georges de Beauregard .... producer
 
Original Music by
Martial Solal 
 
Cinematography by
Raoul Coutard 
 
Film Editing by
Cécile Decugis 
Lila Herman 
 
Makeup Department
Phuong Maittret .... makeup artist (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pierre Rissient .... assistant director
 
Art Department
Clément Hurel .... poster artist
 
Sound Department
Jacques Maumont .... sound
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Claude Beausoleil .... camera operator
 
Editorial Department
Lila Herman .... assistant editor
 
Other crew
Claude Chabrol .... technical advisor
Suzon Faye .... script supervisor (uncredited)
 

Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Breathless (UK) (subtitle) (USA)
By a Tether (UK) (informal title)
more
Runtime:
90 min
Country:
France
Language:
French | English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Despite reports to the contrary, Jean-Luc Godard did not shoot the film without a script; however, he did not have a finished script at the beginning, instead writing scenes in the morning and filming them that day. See also Pierrot le fou (1965). more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Michel Poiccard: After all, I'm an asshole. After all, yes, I've got to. I've got to!
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in L'héritier (1973) more

FAQ

What does it mean when Michel makes those three faces: open mouth, big smile, frown?
What is the movie playing in the theater when Michel and Patricia are trying to escape from the detectives?
What does Michel say at the end of the movie?
more
31 out of 53 people found the following comment useful.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the 8th Wonder of the World: Jean-Luc Godard., 27 October 2003
10/10
Author: nutsy from Olympia, Washington

This is the one that started it all. With the story of a man on the run calling himself Laszlo Kovacs (a cinematographer of the time), Jean-Luc Godard arrived in the movies (well, on the production end, at least). This also more than his typical film essay. The story by Francois Truffaut makes for a terrific Godard script (the Truffaut stamp makes it comparable to SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER). Jean-Paul Belmondo does well in the Kovacs role, humanizing our bad-guy hero right up to the slam-bang finish. Jean Seberg is his conflicted lover who must... well, just watch. A landmark of the French New Wave, which is one of the most important movements in cinema. Vastly superior to the 1983 BREATHLESS with Richard Geer and Fassinder's homage THE AMERICAN SOLDIER. This is guaranteed to be like few movies you've seen before (unless, of course, you're a fan of the New Wave). BREATHLESS is also very memorable for its music and unusual photography. Shows how European film brought out the importance of character in film and raised it to new heights (whereas in American film, a close-up is the closest you'll get to character development). This is a must for any film student and for anyone who just loves movies.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for À bout de souffle (1960)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Which director now reminds you of the early Godard? kBillysuperSounds
What's with the 'jumpy' editing? fellini812
Who could you see playing the characters today? TucoTheUgly66
This should be imdb's no.1 film! tapping_eddie
Has French new wave cinema survived in the face of Hollywood domination? steph_houston
great film but Jean Seberg's french was like nails on a chalkboard myusuf19
more

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